The Epic Love Story of James Potter and Lily Evans
by EVRYTHINHARRYPOTTER
Summary: The tale of James and Lily, including the parts you didn't get to read in the books. We are going to delve into their lives at Hogwarts and their slow path to the night they were attacked by Voldemort.
1. Chapter 1: The Train Ride There

"Go Lily! Take Harry and run!" James called to his wife. Lily immediately fled the room with her one-year-old son in her arms. She didn't think of what she was leaving behind. Her husband, her true love, her life.

The door crashed open and James stood ready, wand pointed at Voldemort as the evil man swept into the room. James knew this was going to be his dying hour, and he prayed to Merlin that Lily and Harry were safe.

"Avada Kedavra!" A cold voice snarled. James watched helplessly as the green ball of magic flew nearer and nearer each second. In five seconds James was dead and lying on the ground, but in those five seconds he relived all of his memories. And in those memories, is where our story lies.

**Chapter 1: They Meet**

A young, eleven-year-old James Potter ran confidently through the barrier with his parents onto platform nine and three quarters. He was born into a magical family and had spent his whole life preparing for Hogwarts. He pretty much knew everything that a pre-Hogwarts student could know.

He already knew his entire plan. He was going to get into Gryffindor, become an amazing Quidditch player, and graduate with E's if not O's. He waved goodbye to his parents, tolerated a kiss from his mother, and then boarded the scarlet train with his trunk.

The doubt didn't set in until he was walking down the train. Who was he going to sit with? He sighed as he glanced into each compartment. In one there was a group of boys that didn't look like too bad of company. He shrugged and walked in. The boys welcomed him and they became fast friends. Their names were Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew.

They were soon laughing loudly and being boisterous. Not before too long did a skinny, greasy-haired boy open the compartment door and request to join them. None of them particularly liked the look of him, but allowed him in nonetheless. He took a seat next to Sirius, who scooted away in distaste. A moment after the boy joined them a small, red haired girl followed in. Her head was bowed and she looked overwhelmed by everything.

James immediately liked her. She was very pretty. He scooted over slightly to give her room, which granted him a small, uneasy smile from her, making him grin with pride. This caused the greasy haired boy to sneer at him, making him a bit upset. This gross boy didn't deserve this beautiful girl. There was no way they were going out! It donned on James that he didn't know the cute girl's name so he decided to get to know her a bit.

"Hello! I'm James Potter! And you are?" James asked her after she had been seated.

"I'm Lily Evans, it's nice to meet you James." She said politely, not quite meeting his eyes. He cocked his head to the side, confused by her shyness. Was she embarrassed about something?

"You okay?" He asked her quietly. She looked at him in shock for how concerned he was. Immediately, her bright green eyes blew James away, they rivaled the most precious emeralds in the world.

Lily nodded before looking down at her hands. "I'm just a bit overwhelmed. I am from a non-wizarding family and everything is new and strange to me." She said quietly. James smiled kindly.

"Don't worry! Just stick with us! We all come from wizarding backgrounds, we'll help you. It doesn't matter if you are from a muggle family; muggle borns aren't any less prepared than full wizarding kids." She smiled at him before turning slightly to the boy who had so far remained silent. His face getting gradually redder in the face the longer James talked to Lily. Which gave James a bit of satisfaction.

"Well, James, this is my friend Severus Snape. He and I are from the same town and he's been telling me a little bit about the wizarding world." Lily informed James. He smiled as she said his name but he didn't like Snape. He didn't know why, just something about him.

"Nice to meet you," James forced a smile onto his face. He then introduced his new friends to the other two. After a moment of awkward silence, Lily turned, rested her head against the wall and stared out the window, tears slowly filling her eyes

James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter began joking loudly again and Severus stared at his watery-eyed friend.

After they were about halfway through the train ride Severus asked what was wrong. Lily responded heatedly about some letter that Snape and her had stolen from her sister. James didn't really pay much attention to what they were saying until he heard Snape mention wanting to go into Slytherin house.

"I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?" James said, butting into the conversation. Sirius sulked a bit.

"My whole family's been in Slytherin."

"Blimey! And I thought you were alright!" James joked causing his friend to smile at him.

"Oh yeah? Where will you end up then?" Severus challenged.

James held up an imaginary sword as he spoke, "Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart!"

This caused a small argument between the boys and in the middle of it Lily stood up, causing both James and Severus to stop their yelling and look expectantly at her.

"Come on Severus let's go!" She said impatiently, "We don't need to take this!" Snape stood eagerly and followed her out, giving a sneer to James before he left.

"I don't like him." James said after they had gone. Remus shrugged, Peter looked away, too intimidated to say anything and Sirius nodded. James leaned back into his seat, upset that Lily had left with Snivelus Snape of all people.

Soon James had shaken it off and he and his new friends began joking loudly once more. Before long the train ride was over and the four boys made their way over to Madam Hooch who was calling for the first years to follow her. She informed them that for their first year they would ride across the river and over to the castle, then wait in the front hall before being sorted.

James grew excited and he and his friends began to talk about the giant squid they knew lived in the lake.

As the large group of eleven year olds slowly neared the lake and began to get into boats James spotted the flash of bright hair he now knew to be Lily's. He pulled Sirius by the arm and directed him over to that boat.

Sirius came easily, and James knew they were going to be the best of friends.

"Mind if we join you?" James asked Lily politely. She looked up at him, a bit startled as she didn't she him coming over, and once again James was hit by the intensity of her green eyes. But noticed the slight coldness in them.

She focused her eyes in the dark and remembered who it was. She then shrugged, prompting the two boys to get into the boat. Severus grumbled under his breath but Lily took no notice, she just sat in the boat, keeping her hands to herself.

From time to time she peered nervously over the edge.

"Scared of the giant squid Evans?" Sirius called out to her. Her face paled and James and Severus glared at him.

"Giant squid?" She asked in a small voice.

"Don't worry about it," James said quickly, "It's harmless. It's really just like a school pet, it's just for watching and enjoying, they wouldn't keep it here if it was dangerous." He hoped that she would calm down. He wanted to make a good impression, and after what had happened on the train he decided to try very hard.

Lily nodded but still remained pale and tried to distance herself from the edges of the boat. Sirius laughed to himself and James couldn't help but join in. Lily huffed and turned to face Severus.

James felt bad and hunched his shoulders the rest of the ride there.

All the animosity James and Lily were feeling toward each other soon dissipates as they pulled up to the large castle, the windows glowing a bright yellow-orange in the night. All four kids grew excited and willed the small boat to move faster.

They finally touched shore and James easily leapt onto the shore with Sirius. Severus stood, wobbled a bit and then when he tried to leap from the boat his foot caught the lip and he fell. His robes were dripping from the ends when he had stood up and Sirius and James were clutching their stomachs, their laughter bending them double.

Lily narrowed her eyes at the two and ignored the hand James offered to her. She daintily exited the boat and double-checked that Snape was okay. He assured her that he was and then smirked over his shoulder at James.

James clenched his fists at his sides as he and Sirius met up with Remus and Peter. The four of them moved along with the rest of the crowd making their way into the castle.

Before long they were organized into one line and they all began shifting excitedly and nervously as they wondered what house they would be sorted into, and how.

Rumors began to circulate and someone proposed that they had to successfully perform five spells. Several students paled at the thought of that and many tried to tune the others out, nervousness eating away at them all.

James wasn't affected by it at all. He knew where he was meant to be. He would leave if he didn't make it into Gryffindor, he wouldn't be caught dead in Slytherin.

The large doors leading into the Great Hall then began to slowly open. Light poured into the corridor and James was momentarily blinded as the line began to push forward.


	2. Chapter 2: Alone

_**I know, you love me. Two chapters in one day. I just couldn't help myself!**_

_**We get to hear it from Lily's POV now and we see how early on her animosity for James starts :)**_

**Chapter 2: Alone**

Lily wrung her hands nervously as Severus whispered encouragements into her ear. She could hear all the other first years saying things about shooting spells, or defeating a magical creature. How was she supposed to do that?

She tried to take deep breaths and tell herself everything was going to be okay, but she couldn't help the nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach.

As she walked forward behind a tall girl with curled black hair she felt as if she would throw up. She glanced around the large hall and saw the hundreds of students with their eyes on her and her breaths became quicker.

She felt saw the line stop moving and she stuck her head around the tall girl's shoulder to see to the front. There she spotted a witch with sharp eyes carrying a three-legged stool and on top of it, a large, very old hat. She set the stool down and unrolled a long piece of parchment. The sorting had begun.

Lily tuned in and out seeing scared student after scared student walk over to the stool and place the hat on their head. She wished more than ever right at that moment that her last name began with a 'Z'.

Before long she heard the tall teacher, Professor McGonagall she reminded herself, call her name. She stepped forward tentatively and looked to Severus, who smiled and gave a thumbs up, before closing the distance to the stool.

She breathed deeply as McGonagall lowered the hat onto her head. The hat had barely touched her red hair when it shouted through a large hole over its brim, "Gryffindor!"

The Gryffindor table erupted in cheers and Lily quickly took off the hat, placed it on the stool and walked over to the cheering table. She took her seat in the middle of the table where some older students had made room.

When she was seated she looked back towards the still long, though rapidly decreasing, line of first years and spotted Severus. She sent him an 'I'm sorry' look and he just looked away. She sighed and turned from him, shoulders slumped.

She clapped with the others when she heard the hat call out Gryffindor, and her mood slowly got better. That was until she heard Professor McGonagall said _their _names. "Lupin, Remus." She called.

He was put into Gryffindor.

Lily scrunched up her face in distaste as he came and sat down near her. Sirius moved over to him and she grimaced.

She soon heard McGonagall call out again, "Potter, James." Lily closed her eyes and crossed her fingers under the table. The hats' reaction was almost immediate, "Gryffindor!" Its scream echoed through the hall and Lily let out the breath she was holding angrily. She looked down at her lap as James sauntered over and sat in between Lily and Sirius.

"I knew you weren't that bad Evans!" James exclaimed loudly and prodded her in the ribs with his elbow. Lily frowned and pulled away. James merely shrugged it off and began to joke with his friends once more. They were thrilled when Peter joined them in Gryffindor and Lily groaned.

What had she done to deserve this? She thought as she scooted as far away from James as possible without bumping into the blond fifth year to her left.

Why hadn't dinner started yet? She thought desperately, she turned around and saw a small group of first years left. She spotted Severus and smiled as he began to fidget where he was standing. It was good to know she wasn't the only one who was nervous.

"Snape, Severus." Lily held her breath as Severus stumbled forward. She knew it was selfish, but she really wanted him in Gryffindor, even though his heart was set on Slytherin.

The hat sat on Severus' head for a moment, as if making up it's mind but it easily placed him into, "Slytherin!"

Lily let her shoulders fall as she stared at her plate. Professor Dumbledore gave a hearty welcome but Lily didn't really pay attention. She ate quietly through dinner, although she marveled at how the food appeared out of nowhere and how delicious it was.

"So Evans, you surprised where Snape ended up?" Sirius asked about half way into the meal. She stared coldly at him.

"I'm not personally," James piped in, "I could tell on the train he was no good."

"Not that you would know," Lily defended.

"It was pretty obvious!" James said, "I mean he _wanted_ to be in Slytherin, he wanted to be in the house known for spewing out dark wizards!"

Lily narrowed her eyes and James had to look away as her eyes shined maliciously.

"Any house is better than one that you're in, _Potter."_ She replied, poison dripping off of her words. James looked like Lily had just stabbed an ice pick in his chest. He turned quietly away and began to eat silently once more.

Lily felt bad, but not that bad. She knew it was all rumor, what they were saying about Slytherin, any house Severus was in couldn't be that bad, could it?

Soon dinner had ended and the Gryffindor prefect then led them all to the top tower and told them all the password. He then herded them upstairs and told them to get lots of rest, as they would be starting classes in the morning.

Lily found her four-poster bed with her trunk lying before it. She quickly readied for bed and then learned who all of her dorm-mates were. Kate Davies who had stock straight brown hair that fell just past her shoulders, Jane Hollingberry who had long, elegant black hair that looked like liquid as it flowed all the way down her back, Grace Newport who had pretty blue eyes and a strong jaw that contrasted her silky blond locks that fell in ringlets down to her mid-back, and Alisa Gloucester who looked perfectly normal in every way. She had standard brown eyes, with standard wavy brown hair that looked a bit unkempt.

Lily liked Alisa the most, as she had never thought of herself as pretty, Lily liked being around someone of normal looks rather than her other three room mates who all were stunning.

They all were very tired and all went to bed early. Lily drew the hangings around her bed closed and stared at the ceiling, feeling very isolated.

It hit her that she really didn't know any of these girls and that she was very new to this world. She realized that she barely knew anyone in her house. The only person she really knew was Severus and he was all the way on the other side of the castle in Slytherin.

She pulled the blankets tighter around her as she realized what she was feeling. Alone. It took Lily a long time to fall asleep that night as she worried about the following day, hoping she would like Hogwarts and deciding to write her sister and apologize once more for their fight at the train station.

So Lily finally slept at around midnight, completely and utterly alone.


	3. Chapter 3: Spattering of Freckles

**_Back to James' POV_**

**_Sorry this one is so short, there wasn't much to say, the next one should be longer._**

**Chapter 3: Spattering of Freckles**

It took James a moment to get his bearings when h first woke in the morning. After a minute of looking around in a daze he grinned broadly and threw a pillow at Sirius' head.

Sirius sat up groggily and looked around for a second as well. He spotted James grinning at him and he smiled back. They both quickly got out of bed and changed into their school robes.

James was ready much quicker and headed downstairs to the common room to wait for his friends. As he reached the bottom step he spotted a bright shock of red hair bent over the table.

He grinned as he walked over to Lily who was scribbling furiously away on a piece of parchment.

"Woah! Slow down Evans, classes haven't even started yet!" James took a seat next to her. She glanced up at him angrily for a moment before continuing. "Who are you writing to?" James asked, wanting to spark conversation.

Lily sighed heavily before laying her quill down and looking at James with her startlingly green eyes. "If you really must know, _Potter_, I'm writing to my sister."

"Is she a muggle?" James asked, excited to continue the first real conversation with Lily he'd had yet, regardless of how much sarcasm dripped from her words when she spoke his name.

Lily nodded in response and her face saddened. "She was really sad when I got my letter and she didn't," she sighed heavily, "I think she hates me now."

"Nah! No one could hate you, Evans," Lily looked up sharply at these words and James grinned then messed up his hair a bit. She smiled timidly right as Sirius, Remus, and Peter came downstairs. "You going down to breakfast?" He asked her. She glanced at the letter, back up at James and then nodded. James grinned again, "Come on down with us then!"

Lily smiled a small smile once more before grabbing her book bag off the back of the chair and heading out the portrait hole with James and his friends. They stayed in relative quietness until right before entering the great hall.

"So Evans, aren't you glad that you didn't end up in Slytherin with Snivelus?" Sirius asked. Lily narrowed her eyes and stopped in her tracks.

"You all keep saying how _terrible_ Slytherin is, but at least _Severus_ doesn't say bad things behind the backs of people he doesn't even know!" She replied heatedly. She then stalked into the great hall angrily.

James threw his head back in exasperation, "Nice going Sirius!" He walked into the hall as well. He spotted Lily at the table and sat next to her. She stared at him for a moment before turning away from him with a huff. He sighed.

He sat through breakfast relatively quietly that day. He was consumed with thoughts of how to persuade Lily to forgive him. And wonderings of why she was so upset. After all _he_ hadn't said anything. Sure maybe he thought those things, but he didn't say them out loud.

Throughout breakfast he glanced over at Lily and each time he did he saw something he hadn't noticed before. The thin, light-brown highlights in her hair, the small flecks of hazel in her eyes, the tiny speckling of freckles across her cheeks and nose. Each time he saw something new, the more he liked her.


	4. Chapter 4: Potions Class

_**Sorry it has been so long since I posted, I promise never to make you all wait that long again!**_

**Chapter 4: Potions Class**

Lily was angry at herself all throughout breakfast. She couldn't pin point exactly how she felt about James. First he was nice, then rude, then nice, then rude again. It was an up and down rollercoaster she just didn't think she could handle.

Worst of all she couldn't help but smile when she looked at him, the way his black hair stuck out in a mess all over his head, the way his smile was a bit lop-sided.

She didn't know how to deal with it and the fact that he stared at her throughout the meal didn't help things at all.

Much to Lily's relief breakfast ended quickly and the food soon disappeared. Professor McGonagall then came around handing out schedules to everyone. Lily took hers gladly and then looked at the paper and grinned. First period on Mondays was potions with the Slytherins.

She happily plucked her bag off the ground and walked out of the great hall without a backwards glance at James or his friends. She hurried down to the dungeons and to the classroom.

She spotted Severus as she turned the corner and they exchanged large smiles.

"How was your first night?" Severus asked a bit nervously. Lily shrugged before answering.

"It wasn't horrible, the girls in my dorm are very nice. What about you Sev?"

"It was great!" Severus grinned and Lily couldn't help but smile back. "I can't wait for potions, sounds like it's gonna be a great class!"

Lily nodded along, she was nervous for her first class, but was glad her friend would be there with her. Slowly all of the rest of the Gryffindor and Slytherin first years made their way to the dungeons for potions class. The only one who wasn't there was the teacher.

Lily looked around and saw no sign of anyone coming, so she took a step forward and tentatively knocked on the door. There was a rustling of papers and a scraping of a chair and before she knew it Lily was face to face with a large, round man who had a large smile on his face.

"Welcome! Welcome first years! My name is Professor Slughorn! Come in everyone! Come in!" he called everyone into the room. They all filed in, some nervous, many excited, a few already bored.

Lily chose a seat next to Severus and they both wore large grins as they watched Slughorn walk to the front of the room.

"This year we will learn the basics of potions and their ingredients." He smiled, "So first, let's hear what you all know!"

Lily bit her lip as she tried to remember all she had read in her Potions book.

"Can anyone tell me about asphodel?

Lily's hand shop up immediately. She grinned, as this was one of the few plants she had remembered. Slughorn looked at her and smiled.

"Yes miss…?"

"Evans sir, Lily Evans." She spoke clearly. Slughorn grinned as well.

"Excellent Lily! Perfect student to answer the question! Please continue."

"Well, Professor, asphodel, also known as Royal Staff, is a member of the lily family. It has long slender leaves and has both magical and non-magical uses. In potions the powdered root is most often used. Some examples are Draught of Living Death and Wiggenweld Potion."

"My, my! Well-done Miss Evans! Fifty points to Gryffindor." Lily smiled and sat back in her seat as she decided she was going to like Hogwarts.

"Well, I know who I'm going to study with!" James said loudly, many of the Gryffindor's laughed but Lily closed her eyes in annoyance.

_Never in a million years_, she thought, _never. _

_**Thanks to Harry Potter Wiki for the info on asphodel :)**_


	5. Chapter 5: Blur

_**I just started another story (don't worry I'll keep posting for this one too!) that one's called Accidental Seventh Year Love Story about Rose W. and Scorpius M.**_

_**James POV, the story moves pretty fast in this one, but there wasn't much to say for the rest of year one and two... or much of three or four.**_

**Chapter 5: Blur**

First year was a blast; James couldn't remember a time when he was having more fun. The quidditch was amazing, the classes were fun, and he had awesome friends. The one thing James didn't have was Lily.

She spent all her free time with the creep from Slytherin, Snivelus Snape. James didn't understand what Lily saw in him, but he was determined to get her to like her, although it seemed that no matter what he did, he only was pushing Lily away.

By the time first year ended, Lily disliked him more than ever, and he went into the summer holiday very upset, although he had all of second year to appeal to her, in fact he had six more years to appeal to her. He decided that he wouldn't give up. He would never give up.

Though he thought about giving up often. Second year didn't go so well on the Lily front. Everyday he found her pushing away even more, and everyday he liked her even more.

James went into third year with almost no hope of winning Lily over, but all thoughts of her were (almost) erased from his mind as he learned grave news about one of his best friends.

Late one night Peter, James, and Sirius cornered Remus and questioned him about where he went every full moon night. They were all very worried about him, he disappeared and always looked very sickly around that time of the month.

At last Remus revealed that when he was very little he was attacked by Frenrir Greyback and was now a werewolf. The look on Remus' face nearly broke James' heart. He looked so dejected and like he had given up the idea of even having friends anymore. Remus told them all about how lonely he was in the shrieking shack and how he would sit alone as a terrible monster, bite and scratch at him self all night in self-hatred.

"What if we came with you?" Sirius posed.

Remus snorted, "I'd kill you all without a second thought. I'm not myself when I change. I'm just a monster."

"Would you hurt animals?" James asked. Remus scrunched his eyebrows together. He shook his head after a minute.

"Probably not if they were big enough to look threatening, why?"

"Well, do you remember McGonagall's last lesson?" James asked the others. Sirius and Peter stared blankly at James while Remus reacted.

"We're only in third year James! We could never become animagi!"

"We're plenty smart Remus!" James countered, "Give us time and we will all learn it, then we will go with you to the shrieking shack on full moon nights. Then you won't be so alone!" Sirius nodded in agreement, Peter looked scared and Remus looked skeptical but agreed anyway.

Every free moment after that the boys would go to the library in a group and research for hours on end. Learning everything they could to become animagi. After months of research they began to practice, it was very slow going but they all pushed.

One night near the end of the year the boys were in the common room practicing. The clock chime rang through the room.

"James, it's two in the morning! We've got classes tomorrow! I'm going to bed!" Remus said.

"Just once more, I think I almost have it!" James begged. Remus looked very irritated but relented. He collapsed onto the sofa in between a snoring Sirius and a drowsy Peter.

James shut his eyes in concentration and let all thoughts leave his mind except the thought of the spell as they had read about in the books. Apparently, after one changed the first time all the person had to do was think of his or her animal. The more a person did it, the easier it got.

James stood in the middle of the room, his face contorted in a look of deep concentration and he said the spell forcefully. Suddenly he felt his body begin to tingle, starting at his toes and slowly traveling up to his head. He then felt his body begin to change, it was a numb feeling but he could tell it was changing nonetheless. The transformation took no more than three seconds but it felt like ages to James.

He looked around, still abut the same height, but aware that he was standing on four legs instead of two. He looked down at where his feet should have been but saw hooves instead. He walked over to the mirror they had positioned against a chair to see what kind of animal he was. He could hear his large hooves clomping against the floor.

He looked into the mirror, but instead of seeing himself, he saw a large stag staring back. He snorted through his large snout and smiled (if a stag can smile).

Remus was staring, mouth agape; Sirius was looking around in a daze, having just woken up from James' loud snort; and Peter was looking at James in admiration.

James then focused on a mental picture of him self and felt the tingling again. Before long James was human again and grinning at all his friends.

"See Remus, I told you!" James said happily before yawning loudly. "Let's head to bed, I'm beat!"

Two weeks later Sirius had changed himself into a large, black, fluffy dog. The only one yet to change was Peter. James and Sirius helped as much as they could but Peter was pretty daft.

It wasn't until the beginning of fourth year that Peter was successful of turning into a rat.

All four friends were then able to spend every full moon together and shadows of a stag, a large black dog, a small rat and a thin boy could be seen hurrying across the grounds to the wimping willow night after night.

by night, and James could see tension building between Lily and Snivelus. Things were looking up. At least they were until one night Snape followed them out onto the grounds.

That night James and Sirius had extra homework they had not completed earlier in the weekend like Remus and Peter had. They told the other two to go on without them. So off they went. Peter scuttled under the branches of the tree in his rat form and let Remus in right before his change.

When James and Sirius had finally finished their homework and were heading downstairs they saw Snape sneaking across the grounds and hurried off after him.

"What are you doing _Snivelus?"_ Sirius called. Snape turned and glowered at them.

"I could ask you the same thing." He spat back. James grinned.

"We're going to the shrieking shack, we heard there was a passage way under the wimping willow and we wanted to see the ghosts. Care to join us?"

Fear crossed Snape's face but soon after determination took its place.

"Yes." Snape said defiantly.

"Good," James smiled, "You first."

Snape gulped loudly but started forward nonetheless. He was almost massacred by the branches of the willow but was able to make it through anyhow. James stared in shock and slowly became scared. He didn't think Snape would take his bluff, and Remus might become revealed if Snivelus saw him, or worse Remus could kill the greasy haired boy in his werewolf state.

He hurried in after Snape and pulled him out of the willow right as Snape caught a look at Remus. Remus was about to strike and would have if James hadn't stepped in.

When they were outside and both breathing heavily James turned to Snape.

"You have to promise that you won't tell anyone. Promise!" James pleaded.

Snape narrowed his eyes. "Why should I?"

"Because if you don't then I will tell everyone that I saved your life, and the story could go very wrong on your part Snivelus!" James threatened. Snape narrowed his eyes to mere slits before giving in and hurrying back to the castle.

James turned into his stag form and hurried back to his friends, hoping things would be okay for the rest of fourth year at least.

And happily, they were. The rest of the year, and most of the next passed by in a blur for James, but there was one moment he would never forget.


	6. Chapter 6: Trouble With Snape

**Chapter 6:Trouble With Snape**

Lily found herself loving Hogwarts. She adored her classes, she enjoyed the homework, and she loved the time she could spend with Severus.

The bad thing, or things, about Hogwarts? James, Sirius, Peter, and Remus. James continued to pester Lily throughout the year, and as upset that Lily was to be leaving Hogwarts, she was happy to be rid of James and his friends, to be able to just hang out with Severus.

Her summer was quite enjoyable; she spent everyday talking with Severus learning all the things about the wizarding world that they didn't teach at school. And she told him about the pain of the rejection from her sister. They grew much closer over that summer and she was a bit sad to return to Hogwarts in her second year and part from him.

Once she returned she found herself falling in love once more with the school. James never left her alone and bugged her every second of the day. She kept pushing him away and near the end of the year she was glad to see him becoming discouraged and starting to back off a bit. It was at that time she began to push away from Severus as well.

She could see his friends were influencing him, and not in a good way. He was constantly talking about the dark arts. She could have overlooked that, but one day near the end of her second year she overheard James talking to Sirius in the common room as she was finishing her Charms essay.

"A relationship with a person in another house can never last, even just a friendship. Especially if it's between a Gryffindor and a Slytherin."

The words haunted her, but she tried to push them to the back of her mind. Yet they always popped up when she was around Severus. She tried her best but could see him slowly becoming better friends with his Slytherin buddies, and gravitating more towards them.

She saw the change especially in third year as James had suddenly stopped bothering Lily constantly. She wasn't sure what had him sidetracked, but she was glad.

But it had given her a nice distraction from how dark her best friend, if she could call him that anymore, had become. Lily began to stick with her roommates more and more.

Only when she chose them over Severus did he complain.

"I'm going to go with some friends to Hogsmede this weekend." Lily had said nonchalantly one afternoon as Severus and her were walking across the campus to another class.

"Who are you going with? Is it Potter and his gang?" Severus asked suddenly and forcefully.

Lily was taken aback, "What? No, it's some of my friends. Why are you so obsessed with them Sev?"

"Well, uh, um, it's just that, uh," Severus stammered. Lily raised her eyebrows to prompt him forward, "It's just that, well, ugh! James Potter fancies you Lily, James Potter fancies you!" Severus nearly yelled.

Lily rolled her eyes, "It's not about who _he_ fancies, is it? He doesn't get to date me just because he fancies me, I get a say to! I'm not just property Sev."

"Trust me, I know." Severus mumbled to himself.

"What?" Lily asked, thinking she hadn't heard him correctly.

"Nothing just going over the potion ingredients we need for today." Snape said quickly.

And after a year nothing changed. In fourth year all Severus would talk about would be James and his friends or dark magic and horrible torture and killing curses.

She noticed him calling people mudbloods, a term she had learned as derogatory slang for a wizard with muggle parents. She never said anything, but it always made her cringe a little inside, as she was a muggle born witch. Though of course Severus had never said such a thing about her… at least not in front of her.

One day near the end of fourth year Severus had met Lily in History of Magic with scratches all over him. Lily asked and he was clearly lying as he stammered something about taking extra herbology lessons and having trouble with wimping willow seedlings.

Lily was clinging to the strings of her relationship with Severus as she entered her fifth year at Hogwarts. She was even beginning to doubt weather or not she should hang on, though she always found a reason to keep trying. He would say something nice, make a joke, and laugh. Something that would remind Lily of the young Severus she used to know.

She hoped they could find some way to fix it, and that it wouldn't all crumble to pieces.


	7. Chapter 7: Snivelus

**Chapter 7: ****Snivels**

James pulled his exam toward him and re-read his essay. He grinned and messed up his hair in the back. Fifth year had been a breeze; this DADA exam had been no different.

He turned around and spotted Sirius three seats behind him. Sirius smiled and gave a large thumbs up. James grinned back and then looked near the back where he spotted the shock of red hair he was looking for.

He sighed slightly and turned back to his desk. James pulled out a small piece of parchment on which he had doodled a snitch on after his previous exam. He now added an L.E. onto the page and began to trace and embellish the letters.

"Quills down, please!" Professor Flitwick called in his high squeaky voice, "That means you to, Stebbins! Please remain seated while I collect your parchment! _Accio!_" All of the pieces of parchment from around the room flew at Flitwick at once, causing him to fall over.

Most of the students laughed, including James, who stood and walked over to his friends. They all moved together along with several other groups of fifth years towards the grounds outside near the lake.

"Did you like question ten, Moony?" Sirius implored. James grinned at the memory of their nicknames and the creation of their marauders map. Moony (Remus), Wormtail (Peter), Padfoot (Sirius), and Prongs (James). It was a way to speak of their full moon nights together in secret.

"Loved it, 'Give five signs that identify the werewolf.' Excellent question." Remus grinned.

"D'you think you managed to get all the signs?" James asked, sarcasm dripping from the words.

"Think I did," he replied seriously, "One: He's sitting on my chair. Two: He's wearing my clothes. Three: His name's Remus Lupin…" He trailed off. They all laughed, save Peter who was still very nervous about his exam.

"I got the snout shape, the pupils of the eyes, and the tufted tail," He said anxiously, "but I couldn't think what else-"

James rolled his eyes at his close to retarded friend. "How thick are you, Wormtail?" he asked impatiently, "You run round with a werewolf once a month."

"Keep your voice down!" Lupin said nervously. James waved him off and they all continued out towards the lake where they settled under a large tree in the shade.

James glanced over towards the lake where he saw Lily and he ruffled his hair a bit. He pulled out a snitch and let it fly just to the edge of his reach before snatching it once more, showing off.

He knew deep down that he was trying to catch Lily's attention, but he would never truly admit that. Wormtail would applaud every time James' made a difficult catch.

"Put that away, will you?" Sirius said angrily after a while, as Wormtail let out a small cheer at a skilled catch, "Before Wormtail wets himself from excitement."

James smiled but obliged and slipped the snitch back into his pocket. Sirius complained about boredom and Lupin offered studying for their upcoming Transfiguration exam. The last exam of the year.

James spotted Snivelus and grinned before elbowing Sirius in the side and nodding in his direction. "This'll liven you up Padfoot." He said quietly, "Look who it is..." He trailed off as Sirius grinned evilly.

Snape was walking across the grounds after stowing a paper in his bag. James and Sirius stood and followed a ways after him. "All right, Snivelus?" James yelled to the quiet laugh of Sirius.

Snape reacted quickly dropping his bag and reaching for his wand, but James was faster. "Expelliarmus!" He shouted. Snape's wand flew from his hand and landed at least twelve feet behind him. "Impendimenta!" James called this time, knocking Snape off of his feet in an attempt to rescue his wand.

Students began to gather to the glee of James and Sirius. "How'd the exam go Snivelly?" James taunted.

"I was watching him, his nose was touching the parchment. There'll be great grease marks all over it, they won't be able to read a word." Sirius mocked. Several of the students watching laughed along with James and Sirius.

"You, you, you just wait!" Snape threatened, hatred emanating from him.

"Wait for what?" Sirius asked coldly, "What're you going to do, Snivelly, wipe your nose on us?"

Many laughed once more as a mixture of cuss words and hexes flowed freely from Snape's mouth.

"Wash out your mouth!" James said in mock strictness, "Scourgify!" Pink soap bubble flowed from Snape's mouth to the delight of the crowd watching as Snape began to gag and choke.

"Leave him ALONE!" Lily screamed. James' head snapped up and his left, free hand automatically snapped up to his hair and ruffled it a bit.

"All right, Evans?" James asked, employing his mature, caring voice that he really only used for her.

"Leave him alone." She repeated. Hatred dripping from her words, she was glaring harshly at James, who stiffened a bit at her coldness. "What's he done to you?"

"Well, it's more the fact that he _exists_ if you know what I mean…" James blurted out, but from the cold look he was receiving from Lily he wished greatly he could eat his words.

"You think you're funny." Lily spat at him, "But you're just an arrogant, bullying toerag, Potter. Leave him _alone_!"

"I will if you go out with me, Evans," James responded quickly, his voice filled with sincere hope, "Go on, go out with me, and I'll never lay a wand on old Snivelly again." James promised.

Lily laughed coldly, "I wouldn't go out with you if it was a choice between you and the giant squid!"

"Bad luck Prongs." Sirius comforted. "OY!" He shouted as he spotted Snape, who had reached his wand as the jinx had worn off.

It was too late, Snape sent a cutting curse at James, slashing the side of his face. A deep pain seared James' cheek and blood spattered the side of his face and some of his robes. James whirled around and cast a silent charm causing Snape to hang upside down by the ankle in mid air, revealing his bony, pale legs and greying underwear.

Many cheered and Sirius, James, and Wormtail roared with laughter.

"Let him down!" Lily roared.

"Certainly," James obliged. He jerked his wand in Snape's direction and Snape fell like a stone and crumpled on the ground. Sirius then caused Snape to fall rigid once more once he had disentangled himself.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Lily screamed. She had pulled her wand out, and an angry Lily was not someone to mess with.

"Ah, Evans, don't make me hex you," James pleaded jokingly, he would never cause harm to Lily.

"Take the curse off of him then!" Lily replied heatedly, his wand still out. James sighed, he couldn't argue with her. He muttered the counter curse, releasing Snape from the charms' hold.

"There you go, you're lucky Evans was here…"

"I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!" Snape growled.

Lily blinked once, gulped and then responded coolly. "Fine, I won't bother in the future. And I'd wash your pants if I were you, _Snivelus."_

"Apologize!" James roared, how dare he, to someone as amazing as Lily!

Lily rounded on James, "I don't want _you_ to make him apologize!" She shouted, clearly hurt, "You're just as bad as he is!"

"What?" James yelped clearly affected by that last comment, "I'd NEVER call you a… a you-know-what!"

"Messing up your hair because you think it looks cool to look like you've just got off your broomstick, showing off with that stupid Snitch, walking down corridors and hexing anyone who annoys you just because you can – I'm surprised your broomstick can get off the ground with that fat head on it. You make me SICK!" With that Lily spun on her heel and stalked off.

"Evans! EVANS!" James called after her, hoping to reconcile in some way. But she didn't turn back. "What is it with her?" He asked, hoping to appear like her last comment didn't matter at all to him.

"Reading between the lines, I'd say she thinks you're a bit conceited, mate." Sirius joke.

"Right, right." James' self-hatred and anger building. He hung Snape back up by his ankle hoping to get his anger out now.

That night James stayed up, mentally scared from the afternoon. He had thought he was making progress in getting closer to Lily.

That night James evaluated and found all of the characteristics Lily accused him of to be true. He began to silently cry near daybreak. He would fix himself. He would change for Lily. No matter how much work it would take. She would see his change; she would see that he was trying for her.


	8. Chapter 8: Mudblood

**Chapter 8: ****Mudblood**

Lily meticulously checked over her answers for the Defense Against the Dart Arts exam. She felt very confident in all of her answers but wanted to check over them one last time.

"Quills down!" Professors Flitwick squeaked. Lily followed orders and placed her quill back into her book bag. "That means you too, Stebbins! Please remain seated while I collect your parchment! _Accio!_" All of the parchment flew at him at once. Several students laughed but Lily craned her head to make sure he was okay. When she saw that he was righted by a couple of nearby students she smiled and chuckled at the small teacher before making her way over to her friends.

They all began going over their answers for the exam and comparing answers as they made their way down to the lake.

It was a bright sunny day and Lily smiled as she felt the sun warming her cheeks. She and all of her friends took a seat on the cool, soft green grass in a circle and began quizzing one another on Transfiguration, their final exam that year.

When there was a lull in the questioning Lily glanced over to a large tree where she saw movement. She saw James who had quickly averted his gaze to make it appear like he hadn't been glancing over to where Lily and her friends were sitting the entire time.

Lily watched for a moment as he played with a snitch, much to the delight of one of his "followers" the small, round, mousy boy. Peter was it? Lily never took much time to remember his name, he never stuck out to her; he was just another of James' cronies.

She returned her attention back to her friends and continued studying. She was quite pleased at the amount of information she knew and was very confident for the next test.

Not that school had ever been that hard for Lily. Coming from a muggle household she had always been very interested in all of magic and she poured all of herself into her studies.

She was proud to be called the brightest witch of her age by all of her teachers. She worked hard for the honor of that title and loved hearing it.

"Impedimenta!" Lily heard James' distinct voice shout. She rolled her eyes. James was always picking on people to remain popular with his friends.

Lily's friends giggled and most stood and began to move closer to see what was going on and who was receiving the hexes this time around. Many of Lily's friends had crushes on James and Sirius and many were jealous of the fact that Lily was the one who had caught James' eye. They were also very upset that she wasn't taking advantage of that.

By the time Lily and her friends had made it around the circle of people who had formed to observe pink bubbles were flowing from Snape's mouth. Lily gasped slightly and felt her anger rising. Before she realized what she was doing Lily was yelling at James.

"Leave him ALONE!" She hollered. James' looked up sharply and quickly messed up his hair when he saw Lily. Lily only rolled her eyes at his foolishness.

"All right, Evans?" He asked. His voice was now much deeper and more masculine than before. Lily had to fight a smirk from forming on her lips, the idea of laughing quickly fled her mind however when she glanced back at Snape.

Lily was standing in the circle of students with James, Sirius, and Severus when she spoke again. "Leave him alone." She said coldly. She was glaring daggers at James. "What's he done to you?"

"Well, it's more the fact that he _exists_ if you know what I mean…" James said with a laugh. If possible Lily's look became colder and more deadly than before.

"You think you're funny." She spat angrily. "But you're just and arrogant, bullying toerag, Potter. Leave him _alone_." Lily said with as much malice and hatred as she could muster.

"I will if you go out with me, Evans." James said quickly, "Go on, go out with me, and I'll never lay a wand on old Snivelly again." He promised.

Lily heard several excited whispers from the female portion of fifth years watching. She just snorted before responding with hatred dripping from her words. "I wouldn't go out with you if it was a choice between you and the giant squid!"

She heard many of the girls in her year gasp quietly and few mutter about how stupid she was.

"Bad luck Prongs, OY!" Sirius jumped into the conversation. Lily saw as a light flew past James' face and carved a gash into the side of his face, splattering him with his own blood.

James reacted in an instant, casting a silent curse that sent Severus into the air upside down, hanging by his ankles. His trouser legs fell to reveal his pale, hairy legs and his dirty underpants. Lily felt her lip twitch almost forming a smile for a moment at the sight but she quickly straightened her features and became angry at James once more.

"Let him down!" She ordered.

"Certainly," James said politely. With a flick of James' wand Severus landed in a large heap on the ground.

Sirius cast another curse once Snape had gained enough composure to stand, causing him to become rigid and fall once more to the ground.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Lily shouted at the top of her lungs, her rage boiling over the surface. She reached into her robes and extracted her wand.

"Ah, Evans, don't make me hex you." James said, as if one would say to an angry child, this, of course, only made Lily angrier.

"Take the curse off of him then!" She countered. James sighed deeply as if she was asking a great deal before saying the counter curse.

"There you go, you're lucky Evans was here…" James commented but was interrupted.

"I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!" Severus growled angrily.

Lily felt the words like an icepick to the heart. She blinked back her tears and swallowed the lump in her throat. She forced herself not to cry in front of all the people surrounding her.

"Fine, I won't bother in the future." And in her anger and sadness Lily added, "And I'd wash your pants if I were you, _Snivelus_." Lily saw the pain on Snape's face when she said that horrid nickname. But she didn't care anymore, if he could call her a Mudblood, she could call him Snivelus.

"Apologize!" James yelled at Snape.

Lily felt her anger rising again, all thought of crying momentarily disappeared as she rounded on James. She needed to get her frustration out, and he was the nearest target.

"I don't want _you_ to make him apologize! You're just as bad as he is!" She yelled, she didn't want anyone to make him apologize, the damage had been done. Their friendship was over, it had been slowly dissolving over time for a while but it had finally reached the breaking point. It didn't help Lily's feelings any that it happened in quite a public setting either.

"What?" James yelped, he was obviously hurt by her last comment, "I'd NEVER call you a… a you-know-what!"

Lily's anger flowed and she needed to get it out, so she started her rant, all the things she had wanted to say to James for the longest time. "Messing up your hair because you think it looks cool to look like you've just got off your broomstick, showing off with that stupid Snitch, walking down corridors and hexing anyone who annoys you just because you can – I'm surprised your broomstick can get off the ground with that fat head on it. You make me SICK!"

After she had screamed all that she could Lily spun on her heel and marched away. She heard James calling after her. She could hear the pain in his voice, but she didn't turn around. She needed to be alone.

When she had reached the edge of the grounds the tears began to flow, slowly at first. Slow enough that she was able to turn and see Snape back in the air, hanging by his ankle. But once the tears began they began to gain speed and by the time Lily reached her quarters in Gryffindor tower sobs were wracking her body. She collapsed on the bed and soon fell asleep after her exhausting afternoon.

Lily woke hours later, her friends knew she needed time and had decided not to wake her. She thanked them before going down to the kitchens and having a small bite to eat there. It was during her small dinner that she decided his whole fight with Severus wasn't going to bring Lily down at all. She had her own friends, she wasn't that close to Snape anymore anyway.

That night Lily studied for Transfiguration with her friends like she would have if nothing at all had happened that afternoon. James never tried to speak to Lily but she could feel his sorry looks. She felt bad as well. She was just in a bad state when she had yelled at him. Besides, she had only informed him of the annoying things he did, the things that always stopped Lily from liking James.

She didn't tell him about the things she liked. She liked his expressive eyes, she liked his laugh, and she had always wanted to mess up his hair, she had seen him run his hand through his thick, black hair so many times it was very enticing.

But neither of them spoke to one another, neither apologized. They both sensed that the other needed time and space.

A while into the night a young third year came up to Lily and told her Snape was outside the portrait of the fat lady and was refusing to leave until he could speak to her. He even threatened to sleep there.

Lily was already in her sleeping gown and was not in the mood to confront Snape, she even thought of punishing him and making him sleep outside in the hall.

After a moment of deliberation however, she decided to cut him loose now.

She went into the hall and stood in the doorway with her arms crossed.

"I'm so sorry!" Severus pleaded "I didn't mean it, I swear! Potter just had me so riled up!"

"Potter has nothing to do with it," Lily responded coldly. "You call all the other muggle borns by that name too Sev, why should I be any different. I didn't even want to come out here. I only did because Mary Anne told me you threatened to sleep out here otherwise." She informed him

Snape nodded vigorously, "I am so sorry Lily, please, forgive me, one more chance!"

"I'm done Sev, I'm done. I don't like the people you have been hanging out with, they are terrible influences on you and this is who you are now. A mean, spiteful person, and I don't think I can be around that."

She turned and slammed the portrait door before taking several deep breaths and going back to her room.

Lily slept terribly that night, she tossed and turned with images of James with his cut face, Snape hanging midair with is boxers showing and pink foam pouring from his mouth. Snape yelling "Mudblood" sounded over and over in her head. The next morning she woke with the memory of his words imprinted on her brain and tear streaks on her cheeks.


	9. Chapter 9: Making a Change

_**This one is a bit short, but they make strides in their relationship. The story should pick up a bit more now as well. The part we have all been waiting for is coming up, the moment when they**__ date!_

**Chapter 9: Making a Change**

The summer between James' sixth and seventh year was an important one. Everyone could see him change and mature, he became more polite, more caring. He still had his moments of mischievousness, but it made him who he was. James only hoped Lily could see the difference.

School began and the change could be clearly seen by his teachers, he had become much more responsible and took much more care in his academics. James was trying very hard, and it was well received. The only person who didn't really notice was Lily.

In fact it was as if she didn't even notice that James was alive. It didn't seem to matter to her weather he was in class with her or not, weather he was kind or not, weather he was a changed man or not.

James was becoming saddened by the fact that Lily wouldn't even look at him. But he never changed who he had become. He was much happier with this him than in the past. It felt better to be organized and kind.

The year crawled by at a snails pace, and ever so slowly James rose up in his classes to third in the class (right behind Lily and Remus) and fourth in potions (Lily, Remus, Snape took the three top spots).

James even improved in quidditch. He was quickly becoming one of the best seekers Hogwarts had seen. He caught the snitch almost every time. No one stood a chance.

But still no sign of acknowledgement from Lily. James' friends could see how upset he was and tried to cheer him up. It worked most of the time but upon occasion James would become so upset that nothing could cheer him up.

"He'll find someone else soon, won't he?" Sirius asked, wanting his old mischievous friend back. The happy go lucky friend that he used to know was sitting downstairs finishing his Charms essay.

"I wish I could say yes Padfoot." Remus sighed, "But he has liked her since first year. That's quite a lot of time to like someone to get over them in one or two weeks."

"Well, I don't think I can live with this mopey James."

Mopey probably wasn't the best word to describe James at this point. He always put on a happy demeanor, but for people who knew James as well as Sirius, Remus and Peter it was clear he was depressed.

It was near the middle of sixth year that Sirius was trying to get James over Lily. He would show him several girls and tell him all the good things about them. But it would never work. There was only one girl for James and he would pine after her the rest of his life if he had to.

One day James, Sirius, Remus and Peter were all walking to Transfiguration from DADA and joking and having a good time.

"I left my good quill back in the DADA room," James groaned.

"Do you want us to wait?" Peter offered, always willing to do anything for James or Sirius, hoping they would like him more.

"Nah, you guys go ahead, I'll catch up," James said waving his hand to shoo them away. They complied and all continued on their way and picking up their conversation where it had been left off.

When James had reemerged from the room with his quill he saw Lily walking only a little ways in front of him, her nose in a book. Since she was reading she didn't see the large crack in the floor directly in front of her.

James was about to call out, but it was too late. Lily crashed onto the ground, her bag breaking and her book, quills and ink spreading around. She sighed deeply as she began to slowly gather her books and quills.

James hurried forward and quickly began to help her with all of her books. A moment after he had started he felt Lily's eyes on him. He glanced up and saw her gaping.

"What?" He asked, a bit self-conscious.

"I'm surprised you're being so… helpful. And without any witty comments."

James grinned as he continued to pick up parchment and quills.

"I was going to say something about taking some time off from studying, seeing all the books you have, but I decided against it. Studying and having a passion for school is a big part of you, it makes you special." He smiled at her again then laughed as Lily gaped.

James helped patch up her bag and stuff all of Lily's many books inside before beginning to walk away.

"Wait, James…" Lily called after him. He turned and quirked an eyebrow, "Thank you," She said softly. He smiled, causing her to smile in return.

"Don't mention it." James turned around once more and walked to class, a bit more spring in his step.

After that confrontation James didn't move light-years ahead in his relationship with Lily, but she was talking to him more now, and they were on much better terms than they had been for years.


	10. Chapter 10: Something's Different

_**This is an exciting one! Lily is finally realizing her feelings for James, but nothing happens until next chapter ;)**_

**Chapter 10: Something's Different**

Lily was enjoying James' company. It was shocking when she thought about it. From all their years of drama and hatred she never thought it would be possible for them to ever get along well.

Something was very different about him though. He was much more gentlemanly than before. He no longer acted like a big head or walked around hexing people because he could. He was a genuinely nice person.

Lily found herself noticing things about him she hadn't noticed since first year. The way his hair was charmingly messy. How his hazel eyes glowed with passion when something sparked his interest.

She found herself wondering if he still fancied her from all those years ago when Snape had warned her about him. Every time she ever began to think of him in that way, however, she would put it out of her mind.

This was one of those times. As Lily walked into the Gryffindor common room after finishing a herbology report in the library she physically shook the idea of James out of her head.

The moment Lily walked through the portrait hole she was accosted by Alisa.

"Lily! Lily, I have to tell you something!" She said as she and Lily walked through the common room and neared the staircase leading to their room.

"What is it Lisa?" Lily asked with a chuckle.

"I've decided to try out for the Quidditch team!" Alisa said excitedly. Lily's eyebrows rose as she appraised her friend.

"What brought this Lisa? We've been here six years and you've never shown any interest in quidditch before."

Alisa shrugged, "I practiced over summer and I think I'm pretty good!"

"Well that's great Lisa! I'm happy for you, good luck!" Lily encouraged.

"That's not it though Lil," Lily cocked an eyebrow and waited for Alisa to tell her the last bit, "I was wondering if you would come to the try outs and cheer me on," Alisa bit her lip and waited in anticipation.

Lily debated for a moment before agreeing.

"Oh! Thank you!" Alisa squealed, "They're tomorrow night after dinner, oh thank you Lil!" Lily laughed at her friend and it wasn't until they both reached their room that Lily remembered James was the captain of the quidditch team. She smiled to herself a bit as she entered the room.

Lily moaned as Alisa dragged her out to the quidditch pitch. It was raining buckets and Lily was really regretting the decision to come and cheer her friend on.

Lily opened her bright red umbrella and walked with her friend to the quidditch pitch where she took a seat and stowed her umbrella away as the seats were covered.

She watched as all of the team came out of the changing rooms and waited as all of the people hoping to fill the empty spot. The person who had been occupying the position of third chaser had broken his arm in a game from a direct his from a bludger and had become traumatized. McCarron had refused to play afterwards, causing the team to hold try-outs halfway through the year.

Lily cheered loudly as Alisa made a spectacular catch and a brilliant shot. Then cheered again when she was awarded the position on the team. She blushed a bit when James beamed in her direction.

In all of the excitement Lily exited the stands and left her umbrella on the seat. She began walking through the mud and rain. She grumbled as she dug around in her bag looking for her red umbrella.

Lily realized she didn't have it and groaned and stopped where she was. She felt her clothes slowly become heavier and wetter as she stood and debated turning back to retrieve her umbrella. She shivered where she was and decided to continue the long journey to the castle.

She pulled up her hood angrily and shivered once more as her clothes became gradually colder and chilled her more than the rain.

Soon into her walk the rain above her head stopped very suddenly, but the rain in front of her continued. She stopped where she was and slowly looked upward. Above her head was her red umbrella. Lily stood very confused for a moment before turning and seeing James on his broom, holding Lily's umbrella up for her.

Lily felt her heart warm at the sweet yet simple gesture. She smiled shyly at him.

"You know you really shouldn't walk around without an umbrella, you'll catch a cold." James grinned. Lily's smile broadened.

"Maybe we could share this one, as we are making our way to the same place?" James quirked an eyebrow and grinned again. He then lowered his broom the short distance to the ground and flung his broom over his shoulder before walking forward, Lily by his side.

They walked together in relative silence until they reached the castle, making small talk about quidditch and the house cup. When they did reach the castle James easily closed the umbrella and used the small Velcro strap to wrap it up nicely. He handed Lily her umbrella, causing their fingers to touch briefly and causing them both to blush and look away.

After that they walked together to Gryffindor tower in silence, neither knowing what to say. It wasn't until they were both in the common room and about to part ways and depart to their rooms that Lily spoke again.

"James?" She asked turning to face him as he did the same. "You seem different… just… why?"

James chuckled to himself and subconsciously messed up his hair. Lily watched his movements and wondered what his hair felt like.

"It was for you Evans, always for you." He told her before turning and climbing the stairs to his room. Lily stood where she was for a long moment, frozen in shock.

Had she heard him correctly? Had he really changed just for her? She went to bed and slept that night with images of James flashing in her mind. The new James and the old James, the James she hated, the James she couldn't get out of her mind.

The one image that stayed was her was one of her and James kissing. She found it both disturbing and heart stopping. Every time Lily saw him from then on her stomach fluttered and she found herself flushed. That year over summer vacation Lily discovered herself missing James all the time. She found herself wanting to be back at Hogwarts to see him once more.

Lily found herself falling for James.


	11. Chapter 11: The Fine Line

_**We're still in Lily's POV, but don't worry the next chapter will be back to James'**_

_**Hope you enjoy! Please comment!**_

**Chapter 11: The Fine Line**

Lily felt giddy as she stepped onto the platform. Over her few months of summer vacation she hadn't been able to get James out of her head and she was looking forward to seeing him again.

She was a little upset when she didn't see James on the platform, but shrugged it off knowing he was probably already on the train. She hurried off to her usual compartment where she spotted Alisa sitting and thumbing though a wizard magazine.

"Lisa, come with me," Lily said as soon as she saw her.

"Hey, Lil, what's up?" Alisa asked, standing and walking over to her dear friend.

"I, uh, thought we could sit in a different compartment this time 'round." Alisa quirked an eyebrow at her friend skeptically but nodded nonetheless. Lily smiled gratefully at her and they both walked through the train looking for another place to sit.

Lily glanced into each compartment as they walked and stopped suddenly halfway down the train when she spotted the familiar mop of black hair.

"How about here Lisa?" Alisa tilted her head to the side, wondering what was special about this compartment until Lily slid the compartment door open and she saw James, Sirius and Peter sitting there. Then she smiled knowingly at her friend.

James looked up and smiled broadly when he saw Lily standing there.

"Mind if we join you?" Alisa asked after an awkward moment of silence when Lily didn't take the initiative to speak.

James nodded and scooted over enough to make room for Lily between him and the wall opposite the door. Lily smiled as she took the seat. Alisa continued her knowing smile as she sat across from her friend a seat away from Peter.

Everyone made causal conversation and was getting along easily, and then right before the train began moving the compartment door slid open once more to reveal Alec Wright.

Lily noticed that Alisa immediately straightened up and smiled as he entered.

Lily then realized why Alisa was so keen to join the quidditch team last year. Alec was the Gryffindor keeper and Alisa mentioned having to strategize with him on making goals.

"Hey Al," Sirius greeted. Alec nodded his hello before taking a seat between Alisa and Peter.

"Wait, where's Remus?" Lily asked after a moment.

"Oh, he got head boy this year," Sirius began to chuckle, "I think Dumbledore is trying to get him to keep an eye on us," everyone in the compartment laughed.

"Speaking of head boy, I heard, in confidence, that the first Hogsmede trip isn't going to be until after Halloween." James divulged to he group.

"Aw!" Alisa groaned, "I was really looking forward to going," She played it up and looked mostly at Alec as she said this. He took the hint.

"Why don't we go on the first trip?" He offered. Alisa grinned broadly and blushed slightly.

"Sounds wonderful!" She beamed.

"Great, it's a date," Alec grinned. The rest of the train ride was uneventful as the six friends laughed and talked throughout the entire trip.

When they reached Hogwarts Lily was having trouble admitting to her self that she was upset that James didn't ask her out on the first Hogsmede trip.

She shook the thought from her mind and told herself that she and James had just started becoming good friends and she shouldn't expect him to take large steps right away.

In fact, 'baby steps' sort of became Lily's mantra over the next couple of months as she spent more and more time with James and they became closer and closer to one another.

James never even mentioned going out until the day the Hogsmede trip notice was pinned to the board.

Lily came downstairs that morning, she grinned as James bounded up to her, excited at first. But he soon became nervous as he once again messed up his hair, a habit he had stopped around her. It was something he only did when he was very nervous.

"Hi James," Lily greeted him.

"Hey Evans," James grinned and subconsciously messed up his hair once more. Lily's smile grew.

"Is there something you want to talk about?" she asked, faking innocence, "You seem nervous." James grinned as well.

"Well, I was, uh, wondering if you, um, wanted to, uh," He stammered.

"Yes?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to go to Hogsmede with me this weekend?" James blurted out in a rush. Lily smiled before nodding vigorously.

"Sounds wonderful," James beamed at her, "Hungry?" They made their way down to breakfast together, talking about the large assignment due in potions that was coming soon.

Lily was having trouble hiding her excitement as the week came to an end. She and Alisa talked all week about what they thought would happen, what they hoped would happen.

Lily nearly jumped out of bed on Saturday morning. She quickly changed into a long sleeved shirt and a black skirt. She pulled on some thick tights and a thick sweater as well since it was snowing outside. She grabbed her scarf and earmuffs as well before departing downstairs with Alisa.

They walked quickly to breakfast where they met with their dates. After a quick breakfast they all made their way down to the small village together, but soon parted ways as each pair wanted to visit different areas.

James and Lily stopped at the three broomsticks shortly where they talked over some butterbeers. They then departed to Honeydukes where they each bought some assorted candy and then they began to walk together, enjoying the view.

"Is the shrieking shack really haunted?" Lily asked off handedly as they passed.

"Nah, it's probably just some kids who sneak in and make noises to scare the villagers." Lily gave James a sideways glance.

"Sounds like something you would have done," James laughed

"Sounds like something I would still do," Lily rolled her eyes.

"No way, you've changed. I've seen it. You're not the bullying type you used to be."

"Wanna bet?" James said with a grin. Lily looked at him in shock. When she didn't respond James scooped up a handful of snow and patted it down into a circular shape.

Lily eyed him cautiously as they continued walking and he continued forming his snowball. As they rounded the corner they came upon some third years walking together. James took the opportunity and threw the snowball.

It hit one of the boys square in the back of the head, causing them to keel over. Lily stood in total shock, not knowing what to do.

James then began laughing; he doubled over with the weight of his laughter.

"You're an insolent jerk!" Lily yelled at him before running foreword to help the third year back on their feet and apologize.

"Oh, come on Evans! I was just messing with the kid. Look! He's fine!"

"Maybe I was wrong to give you another chance James!" Lily said accusingly, "Maybe you haven't changed."

"I was just trying to get you to laugh! It was a harmless prank!" James justified.

"You're no better than you were in fifth year." Lily said harshly.

"So what if I am," James shrugged, "does that change anything?"

"Ugh!" Lily cried. She was becoming exasperated because she knew that it really didn't change anything. Him being rough now and then was part of his nature; she just enjoyed being around him more when he was kind.

She realized that he was only trying to be playful; he probably didn't even mean to hit the kid so hard.

What was angering her most of all was that he wasn't reacting at all.

"You're so annoying!" She said angrily.

"Because I'm right?" James said taking a large step forward so that he and Lily were within a foot of each other.

"No, because you're so arrogant!"

"I would use the word charming," James said as he inched closer.

"I wouldn't!"

"Maybe you should start," James said as he leaned down and pressed his lips to Lily's.

Lily felt her eyes flutter closed as she felt James' lips on her own. She wanted to push him away for being so annoying, but she was held frozen by the electricity pulsing through her. It felt so right.

After all this was the kiss she had been dreaming of since last year.

James pulled away with a goofy grin on his face. Lily felt her cheeks warming and she slowly started to walk away.

She wasn't sure what was happening, but she felt that she really needed to be alone, she turned and fled.

"Evans?" James called after her. She didn't turn back. She just ran until she reached her dorm. She came in and flopped onto her bed.

"So, how was your afternoon with James?" Kate inquired from her bed where she seemed to be writing a letter.

"I hate him," Lily seethed, "He's still the arrogant jerk from fifth year."

"Are you sure you hate him? You've been quite smitten with him lately."

"Of course I'm sure,"

Kate merely shrugged, "You know what they say Lil, there's a fine line between love and hate."


	12. Chapter 12: Gryffindor vs Hufflepuff

**Chapter 12:Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff**

James leaned forward and pressed his lips to Lily's. He wasn't sure what made him do it, but he was very glad he did.

His heart began to beat faster and he felt like electric shocks were traveling through his body, holding him in place.

After a moment, James pulled away; shocked that Lily hadn't pushed him away. He felt him self grinning ridiculously, but he didn't really care, that kiss qualified as the best moment of his life.

All of a sudden Lily began shaking her head and walking backwards. James tilted his head, wondering where she was going. Lily then turned and began to run.

"Evans?" James called, completely confused at why she was running and a bit hurt by it.

James hunched his shoulders after Lily didn't come back and began walking back to Hogwarts.

He arrived back in his dorm and sat down heavily on his bed. He rested his head in his hands, and groaned.

"So buddy, it failed?" Sirius asked, walking out of the bathroom and drying his hair from his recent shower.

"Like you wouldn't believe." James said sadly into his hands.

"Well, you really didn't think it was going to last did you?" Sirius joked, when James didn't move he softened. "You know who has a huge crush on you?"

"No Sirius! Stop!" James said angrily, he stood off the bed and clenched his fists by his sides. "There is only one girl who I care about! And that girl just stormed away from me, probably forever." James' rant died out by the end and he lay back down on his bed, his face in his pillow.

"Prongs, I'm sorry. I know how much you like her. She'll come around." Sirius said, sitting on his own bed and clasping his hands together.

"I blew it Padfoot, I blew it big time." James sniffed into his pillow.

"What happened?" Sirius asked.

"I kissed her and she ran away." James said.

"Come on, Prongs! Lighten up! It's fine, I'm sure she was just a little confused."

"With all our history… I don't think it will. She walked away just like she did in fifth year. It felt somehow final."

"Give her a while, let her figure it out on her own. She'll come around."

So James gave her space. He was polite and they had small conversations here and there, but he never pushed her.

It took her almost two months. It was beginning to warm up, but not enough for everyone to stop wearing their winter coats and hats. It was the day of the match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff.

Everyone in Gryffindor house was confident about the match, and Hufflepuff was walking into the game preparing to lose. James finished changing into his quidditch robes early that day and decided to walk out and see how the weather was looking that day.

He slung his broom up over his shoulder and walked around out of the pitch and took a stroll, passing by the crowds filing into the pitch.

As he walked he spotted Lily walking with her friends. They were all laughing and having a good time. He decided to walk behind her casually and say something… something interesting… something cool.

"Wish me luck Evans," He said after he tapped her on the shoulder. Trying to retain his cool exterior James walked away, heading toward the quidditch pitch once more.

Lily paused for a moment and chewed a bit on her thumbnail. And then she hurried off after James.

"James!" She called out as she came up close to him. James turned, eyebrow quirked. "Good luck," Lily whispered before grabbing the front of his robes and pulling him down into a kiss.

James' eyes grew comically wide for a moment before reacting. He dropped his broom and wrapped his arms around Lily's waist, pulling her close.

"Hey, Prongs… Woah!" Sirius said, grinning as James and Lily broke apart and stared at him, both beginning to blush. "Hey, we just need the captain, the game's about to start." Sirius said, grinning wider before turning and walking back.

Lily blushed deeper and buried her head in James' shirt. James laughed then pulled Lily's chin up and laid a soft kiss on her lips.

"I gotta go play, hey, maybe you'll be my good luck charm!" He grinned as he began to walk away.

Lily smiled and began to walk towards the pitch. James turned around and she nearly bumped into him.

"Meet me right outside the changing room, we'll celebrate after," He shot her a large smile before turning and entering the pitch.

It was an easy win. 220 to 10, Gryffindor. James hurried to the changing room, shared a quick high five with his teammates and then exited. Outside stood Lily, fiddling with the end of her scarf.

"Hey Evans," James said casually, she looked up and smiled.

"Hi James," He walked over and they stood awkwardly before they both headed for the castle. When they got back to the common room Lily turned to him.

"Can we talk in your room?" She asked, James lifted her eyebrows and nodded. They both walked up and she sat on James' bed after him. "Where do we go from here?" She asked.

James looked up, "I, uh, don't know. I just thought that we were going to, uh," James ruffled his hair, "were going to start dating," He said. He felt his heart begin to quicken and he looked away from Lily.

Then, out of the blue, Lily pulled his chin up so that he was looking into her startlingly green eyes.

"If it was a choice between you and the giant squid, I would take you every time," She said. He grinned widely and kissed her deeply.

Things were never the same.


	13. Chapter 13: Life Was Changing

_**This one starts out in Sirius' point of view then switches to Lily's. His part isn't absolutely necessary to the story... I just wanted to include it in the story and couldn't pick a better spot. **_

_**This is my longest chapter yet... took a while to write and kinda messed up my writing schedule. Thats okay!**_

**_Hope you like it! Please comment, tell me how it is!_**

**Chapter 13: Life Was Changing**

From that day forward Lily and James were almost inseparable. They were the couple of the year.

Of course they fought. In fact they fought quite often. But they were always able to pull through, usually with an amazing kiss.

It was hard to find them not kissing. It was as if they were addicted to each other's lips. The only thing more awkward than walking in on them kissing was walking in on Lily messing up James' hair.

It might have possibly been the strangest thing Sirius had seen in his entire life.

He had gone on a dead end date with Sophie. She was a Ravenclaw and it just didn't click.

Sirius dropped his bag on the couch in the common room before running up the stairs, hoping to change before coming back downstairs to do his History of Magic paper in comfort.

He opened the door and stood gaping. James was half bent, looking up at Lily with a bewildered look as she ran her fingers through his hair.

"Er, Lily, what are you doing?" James asked.

"Oh, hush, I've wanted to do this for _years_." James rolled his eyes, and a still stunned Sirius who remained in the doorway cleared his throat.

Lily and James then broke into laughter, but Sirius just stood in the doorway, unable to move from his position.

"That was the most awkward thing I've ever witnessed," He breathed, causing the couple to bend double with even more laughter.

',' ',' ',' ','

Lily had fallen for James; there was no trying to deny it. She didn't want to fight it. They spent every waking moment together and she didn't want it any other way.

They fought all the time; it was the way they were. They clashed constantly. It was what brought them together after their battles.

And when they were happy, there was no comparison. They spent night after night staying up late and talking, just talking.

They learned new things about each other, or just made each other laugh. They enjoyed each other's company no matter what the activity.

Lily was also spending a lot of time with James' friends. The group could usually be found in the common room, circled around a small table. At these times it was typical for Lily to be reading, James to be doting on her in someway (usually giving her a foot rub) while Remus and Sirius debated, typically about the rise of Voldemort.

More and more were dying everyday. Things were getting scary and James, Sirius, Lily and Remus were all seriously considering joining the Order of the Phoenix.

The group would stay up many nights talking and debating about the pros and cons of joining.

The debates raged through the end of their seventh year at Hogwarts.

Finally, in their last month they all agreed to join. This left their last train ride open for conversation.

Lily sat reading, leaning against James, her legs taking up the rest of the row. Across from them Sirius had fallen asleep, Remus was finishing up with some teachers somewhere else in the train. No one knew or really cared where Peter was, so James took the opportunity.

"So, do you know what kind of career you're looking at?" James said offhandedly.

"Yeah, I was considering becoming a Healer at St. Mungos… but that was before we decided to join the Order."

James nodded then spoke again after sending Lily a sideways glance.

"Did you think about where you're going to live?" He asked, trying and failing to sound casual. Lily closed her book and looked up at James, who was beginning to blush.

"I suppose I never really thought about it," Lily said, smiling at James' reddening cheeks, "I'll probably stay with my parents for a while, then… I don't know I never thought about life after Hogwarts. Why do you ask?"

James shrugged, "I never thought about the future either, just wondering if you had any plans." Lily smiled then stretched up for a kiss.

"We'll figure it out," she said after they pulled apart. Soon Sirius woke up and the conversation ended.

Much too soon for Lily's taste, the train ride was over. They all grabbed their trunks and headed onto the platform.

As Sirius, Remus and Peter all walked ahead, James and Lily stopped and turned to face each other.

"I'll owl you soon. We'll get together." James said.

"Sounds good." Lily replied sadly

"What's wrong, gonna miss Hogwarts?" He asked, turning to look at the scarlet engine.

"It's not just that, it feels weird to be saying goodbye right now…"

"It's not goodbye, goodbyes are final, this isn't" James said with a small smile. Lily looked up and gave a feeble smile as well.

James leaned down and connected their lips. The kiss lasted as long as the two could manage. They wanted it to be a kiss neither would forget for a long time.

"Prongs!" Sirius called. James pulled away and rolled his eyes before smiling.

"I gotta go, we'll see each other soon."

"Of course, you didn't think you'd get out that easy did you Potter?" Lily called after James, who had begun to walk towards Sirius.

He turned, sent her a brilliant smile then apparated away with Sirius.

After they were gone Lily sadly walked through the gate and into the crowded station. After looking around for a bit before she spotted her parents. She walked forward and hugged them.

"You guys really didn't have to come!" She insisted. Her parents were getting older and Lily was becoming more and more worried about them.

James' mother had passed away earlier in the year, causing Lily to become very nervous for her own parents health.

"Oh, nonsense dear!" Her mother waved her off before the trio walked together towards the car.

When they arrived home Lily dropped off her trunk in her room before walking into the sitting room.

"Is Petunia here?" She asked her parents, having noticed her sister's old room was open and the bed was slept in.

"Oh, no. She was here earlier, paying a visit to announce her engagement." Lily's father informed her.

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Lily said, "So Vernon finally sealed the deal?"

Her father chuckled before nodding.

"Speaking of relationships," Lily's mother said, jumping into the conversation. "How are things going with James?"

Lily smiled and then dived into a conversation about her last few months at school and her developing relationship with James.

',' ',' ',' ','

It was a few months before anything strange happened to Lily. She lived at home with her parents, read all the time, helped keep the house tidy. Everyday she and James would write to one another.

They had been planning to meet within the next few days when Sirius showed up at Lily's door.

"Hey, Sirius! What's up?" Lily asked when she answered the door.

"James' father died," Sirius responded, a few tears building up in his eyes, "James really needs someone there… and I'm not helping much," Sirius chuckled slightly, wiping at the corners of his eyes.

"What!? That's terrible! Okay… um, give me a second, I'm going to go pack a bag," Lily said hurriedly, "Please, come in."

Lily rushed to her room and threw some of her clothes in a bag. Then she quickly scribbled a note to her parents. Waving her wand she sent the note to kitchen before grabbing her bag and hurrying out to the sitting room where Sirius was sitting.

When she came into the room she saw him sitting with his head in his hands, shoulders shaking lightly.

Lily sat down on the couch next to him and placed her hand on his shoulder. "You really cared for him didn't you?" She asked quietly.

Sirius looked up at her and rubbed at his reddening eyes before speaking, "He was a second father to me," He said sadly, "When I ran away from home in the summer before sixth year I went to James… his parents accepted me immediately, without a second thought. They treated me better than my own parents."

Lily looked at him sadly, "It's a shame I'll never get to meet them," She sighed and stared at nothing for a moment, thinking about her own parents and how devastated she would be if they passed away. "We should go, I'm sure James needs us."

Sirius nodded and then stood quickly, wiping at his eyes once more. Lily stood as well and grabbed her bag, they headed out together, and made their way to a large tree that provided a great amount of shade.

Underneath the tree, leaning against the trunk was Snape. He stood when he saw the pair heading for the shade so they could apparate away.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

"Not now Snivelus," Sirius snapped. Lily placed a calming hand on his arm before turning to the greasy haired boy.

"Emergency," She said hurriedly.

"What? What's going on?" Snape pressed.

"Not now," Lily growled out, "I need to go,"

"Is it something to do with Potter?" He asked, malice emanating from him when he spoke James' name.

"Yes, and I need to be with him," Lily said, becoming annoyed.

"Not necessarily," Severus muttered not-so-quietly.

"Stop Sev! I chose him and that's it!" Lily snapped. Sirius stared in confusion, not having known that every chance given to him Snape had gone after Lily, trying to talk her out of her relationship with James. "Come on Sirius," She said heatedly. And with that Lily grabbed Sirius by the elbow, spun on her heel and apparated them away.

They landed in Godrick's Hollow.

"Why are we here?" Sirius asked, looking around at the small homes.

"It was the first place I thought of, and I don't know where James lives." Lily said, still a bit angry from her confrontation with Snape.

"Oh… Why did you think of this place?" He asked.

"I don't know, Dumbledore grew up here… it was on my mind recently. It sounded like a good place to have a family…" Lily said, calming a bit. "And there's a house for sale right over there."

Sirius lifted a brow before walking over and hooking his arm through hers. She looked up questioningly at him.

"We should get back to James, he needs us." Lily nodded, "Besides, you can talk to him about the house later," He winked at her, causing her to blush.

Sirius laughed before turning on his heel and apparating them right outside of what was now James' house.

Lily immediately ran forward and burst through the door.

"Padfoot?" Lily heard James call out. His voice was rough and thick, clearly stating that he had been crying a great deal.

"James?" Lily called.

"Lil?" He asked, his voice cracking. Movement could be heard from inside the house and before long James had emerged. His eyes were red and puffy, he also had dark circles underneath his eyes.

Lily hurried over and hugged him. He held her tightly and burrowed his face in her hair. When they pulled apart Lily cupped his face in her hands and kissed him fiercely.

It had been so long since Lily had kissed James that her heart increased it's pace drastically and her mind went blank. It was a while before they pulled apart, and they only did it for air.

"I missed you," James breathed, resting his forehead against hers.

"I missed you too," Lily said. She smiled, happy to be with James again, no matter the circumstances that brought her there. "Come on, you need rest, I'll make tea." She said dragging him over to the nearby couch in the sitting room.

James smiled as she sat him down on the couch and had Sirius show her around the house.

She came back a while later with tea. "Quite the house," She commented. James smiled once more.

"I was a bit spoiled…" James commented.

"That explains your attitude from first year to fifth year," Lily said. James pretended to be offended, causing Lily to giggle. "Were you two close?" She asked after a moment of silence.

James looked down at his mug. Lily could see the pain washing over him and became sorry for bringing it up.

"He was my first best friend," James chuckled, "It's funny looking back on it… My parents were pretty old when they had me, even for wizards. They spoiled me rotten as I was their only child… I think I knew they weren't going to be around much longer, doesn't make it any easier."

Lily laid a hand on James' knee. "I didn't know them, but by the way Sirius was torn up by your father's passing shows me just how amazing they were… and I can tell through you." She said with a small smile. James looked up at her with tears in his eyes.

"I love you," He said quietly. Lily sucked in a breath. She knew she loved him too, she just wasn't prepared to hear it. Her heart began to beat in double time and her palms became clammy. But her heart warmed at the thought and she blurted out.

"I love you too," James leaned forward and kissed her gently. They pulled apart relatively quickly and shared a small smile.

"Thanks for coming," James told her, "I don't think I could get through this without you,"

"You will… We will."

James held a small funeral for his father. Only close family and friends were there, it was quick and packed with feeling. Lily had stayed a while after as James wasn't ready to let her leave, even after the funeral and burial he hadn't let go of his sadness and needed her there.

It was a week after the funeral and Lily was packing to leave.

"Don't go," James said from the doorway, Lily turned to him and smiled.

"James, I'm sure my parents are a bit worried as my stay has been extended for a while longer than anticipated. Besides it is a bit awkward with Sirius here," She chuckled.

"So we'll get another place," James said, "I did inherit quite a bit from my father…" James trailed off.

"Are you serious?" She asked. James nodded. "Well… I mean…. There is a place available in Godrick's Hollow…"

James smiled, "Sounds wonderful. We can take a look at it soon." Lily grinned.

Before the month was over, James and Lily had bought the house in Godrick's Hollow and were in the process of moving. Lily's life was changing extremely quickly, and she didn't mind at all.


	14. Chapter 14: Let's Get Married

_**So the story is coming to a close. There should only be about three chapters after this one...**_

_**Hope you enjoy!**_

_**Please Review!**_

**Chapter 14: Let's Get Married**

"Okay," Lily called from the living room, "Done! We are officially moved in!"

James walked in and leaned in the doorway, watching Lily admire her work. After about a week spent unpacking and organizing all of their belongings in their new house they were both very happy to be done.

James walked over and wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his head on her shoulder. Lily sighed and rested her head on his. They stood like that for a moment, just enjoying standing together.

"Come on, we need to go. Dumbledore called a meeting with the order." James mumbled. Lily nodded.

"Let me go clean up," She said and began to walk away.

"What do you mean, 'clean up'? You look beautiful like always," James groaned.

Lily laughed, "I spent all day unpacking! It'll just be a minute," James sighed deeply and flopped onto the couch dramatically, making Lily giggle.

Lily was true to her word and was ready very quickly, when she emerged in jeans and a red long sleeved shirt James stood and walked to her. Together they apparated to a small little community.

"Who lives here again?" Lily asked as she and James walked, hand in hand, up to a cute house. Even from the outside it looked warm and welcoming.

"Frank and Alice Longbottom, that's what I heard from Dumbledore." Lily nodded.

"I hope there aren't too many people, I'm absolutely dreadful with names," James chuckled at his love. The things she worried about were so entertaining.

When they arrived at the door James knocked and he could feel Lily stirring nervously next to him.

"It's going to be fine. Honestly, you have nothing to be nervous about," He laughed at her.

She swatted his shoulder, "I have a right to be nervous! This is the Order of the Phoenix we're talking about, the group of people who are going to be fighting Voldemort. They are bound to be intimidating,"

James rolled his eyes, "Lil, you are the brightest witch of your age, and I am pretty quick on the draw. As a pair, we are unstoppable. Stay by me and there's nothing we can't face." He told her.

She smiled up at him just as the door opened. A woman stood behind it. She had a round face, brown hair that fell to right above her shoulders, and one of the kindest eyes and smiles James had ever seen.

"Hi! I'm Alice Longbottom!" The woman chirped, "It's so nice to meet you two! I'm sorry it took me so long to come to the door, I was finishing up the tea for everyone." She stuck out her hand after blowing through her words.

Lily grinned broadly, immediately taking a liking to the woman. She shook the proffered hand before responding.

"Hello! I'm Lily, and this is James," He gave a small wave when he was mentioned, "I do hope we aren't late…" Alice waved her off.

"Oh, not to worry. Only a few people are here. Please, please, come in!" She stepped aside and allowed the couple through the door. She then led them down a hallway and into a sitting room. The room was relatively small, there were three small couches positioned around a low table that sat in front of a fire.

On one of the couches was an elderly wizard with flowing white hair and beard. He had bright blue eyes that when trained on a person had a depth that made one feel that they were being x-rayed.

Sitting next to Dumbledore was a man who looked to be the same age as Alice. He had thick brown hair and a warm feel. His face was round, but his features a bit more pointed than Alice's.

When James and Lily entered the room he turned to them, smiled, stood and walked over to them. He extended his hand before saying, "Welcome! I'm Frank, I see you've already met my wife," James nodded and smiled as he took Frank's hand.

Frank was an authoritative man, yet still warm and open. It was strange to be around. It seemed that if he ever became angry it would be bone chilling, but yet he was very kind and loving. A man that was easy to respect.

"Nice to meet you, I'm James, and this is Lily."

"Hello Headmaster," Lily said with a small wave as she moved forward and sat on the couch across from the aging man.

"Please Lily, call me Albus, you are no longer a student," Lily nodded.

"Albus then… my that feels strange." Everyone laughed and James joined her on the couch.

Just then two men entered the room carrying trays of tea and cookies for the guests.

"Where do you want 'em Alice?" One asked.

"Oh right on the table would be perfect," She answered. They complied before turning to James and Lily.

"Hello!" The one with the longer hair greeted. They both looked shockingly similar, they both had sharp features and sandy blond hair. "I'm Gideon, and this is my brother, Fabian,"

They introduced themselves and before long there was a long string people they met.

Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody was by far the scariest with his missing eye, and all his scars.

There was Edgar Bones, Caradoc Dearborn, Benjy Fenwick, Marlene McKinnon, Dorcas Meadows.

Then there were those that James and Lily already knew. Hagrid, Peter, Remus, and Sirius.

Lily particularly liked the Weasleys. They already had a very large family. Bill who was nine, Charlie who was seven, Percy who was three, and twins Fred and George who were only one.

In the meeting they had someone write down all the names of those who were present. Then Dumbledore began to speak about the importance of keeping the Order a secret and about the horrors of fighting Voldemort. He wanted everyone to be sure that they were willing to fight.

Everyone agreed, and they all took a photo, commemorating the moment.

Then Dumbledore asked them if they all knew how to produce a patronus, he said he had a way for them to communicate without having to carry anything extra at all times.

Almost everyone knew how to make one and Dumbledore spent most of the meeting teaching them all to make one that could speak and get a message to someone quickly.

Then began the discussion of where Voldemort was, what he was planning, and ways they could sabotage and begin his defeat. The meeting ended pretty late at night.

As James and Lily exited the longbottom's home and began to walk towards the corner to apparate away, thick black smoke grew around them and next thing they knew they were on the ground in somewhere completely unknown.

"James?" He heard Lily whisper nervously. James blinked once or twice trying to see through the darkness. He reached out and grabbed Lily's hand. She squeezed it nervously and he rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand to try to comfort her.

Lily crawled over to him and he wrapped his arms around her.

"What's happening?" She whispered.

"I don't know, but we'll be okay," James promised quietly. He placed a soft kiss to her temple.

Suddenly a light turned on, momentarily blinding the couple.

"So," a cold, yet still deep voice spoke as a man in a dark cloak that covered his face moved into sight. "James Potter and Lily Evans. You two are some of the best wizards of your age." He hissed, "We giving you two a one time opportunity to come join the winning side. You will have a place high in the ranks when the Dark Lord controls the world,"

"Never," Lily said in a surprisingly strong voice.

"Don't be stupid girl. Come now James, tell her what needs to be done."

"We will never fight for your side," James responded heatedly. The man growled and moved forward angrily. James pulled Lily up quickly and spun around.

There was a loud crack and James and Lily landed heavily on the corner of their street. They moved quickly to their house and Lily shakily moved to the couch and laid down.

James was very thankful Dumbledore used the first meeting to teach them how to communicate by Patronus. He cast his stag and told it to inform Dumbledore that he and Lily had been taken just a few minutes ago and offered positions in Voldemort's army.

James then moved to the couch and sat down heavily, Lily crawled over to him and clutched her knees to her chest while leaning against him in a small ball. He wrapped his arms around her and they sat like that in silence for a few minutes until Dumbledore arrived.

There was a knocking at the door and James stood and hurried to answer. He admitted his old headmaster through the door. The old man came in and sat down in an armchair across from Lily. James took his seat once more and then they recounted what happened.

Albus nodded and frowned as they finished up their tale.

"I wonder why it was you were capable of apparating away James," He said after they had finished, "I would have thought they would have set up wards to keep you in…"

"Do you think they are just becoming sloppy?" Lily asked. Dumbledore shook his head.

"I truly do not know…" Dumbledore mumbled. He then stood and began to charm the house. "I am putting up my own wards so that only someone from the Order or those who you allow in may enter. It should be strong enough to keep Voldemort's followers out. I do not think it would work on Voldemort himself, but I don't think that is something you need to worry about." The couple nodded.

After Dumbledore left James felt a bit safer, but that incident had really got him thinking. He turned to Lily who was still on the couch, she laid with her head propped up on the arm rest with her own arm covering her eyes. James felt his heart warm at the sight of her.

"Let's get married," James said suddenly. Lily sat bold upright.

"What?" James moved forward and sat down next to her after she pulled her legs underneath her. He grasped her hands and looked into her bright green eyes.

"Let's get married," He said a bit more quietly than before, "Tonight got me thinking, things are getting dangerous and now is as good a time as ever. I love you more than anything in the world and why postpone it?" He told her.

Lily searched his face and stayed silent for a while thinking it through. James watched as the wheels turned and she considered every option. He looked over all of her beautiful features and smiled delicately. She was the only thing he had ever wanted.

After what felt like an eternity Lily leaned forward and kissed James very gently before pulling back and nodding.

"Yes?" He asked.

"Yes," She chuckled. James grinned his biggest, brightest grin in pure joy and pulled Lily into a tight hug. He couldn't think of a time when he was happier.


	15. An Apology and an Update

I want to apologize to all my readers who thought I had given up on my stories.

When I had first started writing it was very close to the beginning of my final exams, so I had to stop and focus on those for a while, leaving me with no opportunities to write.

Since then I have started a summer internship between school years at a children's center, I spend my days from 8:00 to 5:30 there, and when I'm home I am learning another language (Spanish, as my mother is pushing me to do so)

I realized today when I gained another follower how long it's truly been and I lost track of the time.

I am SO SORRY everyone, I will work as hard as possible to get some writing time in, and the next time you hear from me I will have made some additions to all of my stories. I am planning on only having two more chapters for the Epic Love Story of Lily Evans and James Potter. So expect the ending very soon.

Again I am so sorry and hope you all can forgive me and pick up with the stories again.

Thanks so much,

EVRYTHINHARRYPOTTER


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